Apple must decide for itself if it wants to approve Google's Maps app for iOS, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt said to reporters in Tokyo.

The Google Maps app in iOS devices was replaced by Apple's own Apple Maps app in the latest installment of the mobile OS, iOS 6. This sparked a wave of complaints from users who think the new app is inferior to Google Maps.

To many users' relief, recent rumor claimed that Google Maps app for iOS might be back soon, and that it's already waiting for Apple's approval.

Eric Schmidt was ambiguous about the subject, saying the company hasn't "done anything yet with Google Maps," but adding that that accepting the app is Apple's decision.

In a testament to the ever-expanding reach of YouTube, an online show that originated on the video-sharing site is making its television debut.

Next month, ABC will begin airing Recipe Rehab, a cooking show on which chefs reinvent fatty meals to be healthier, Reutersreported. The show will be broadcast on Saturday mornings on 200 affiliate stations across the United States, and will also continue to air on YouTube.

Recipe Rehab's online videos are typically five to 10 minutes long; however, the episodes will be re-shot to last 22 minutes for television.

"Recipe Rehab is the latest example of how creators are now harnessing the combined attributes of TV and the web to build scal… Continue reading...

For those of us who thought our online lives were fairly environmentally friendly -- buying products on Amazon rather than driving to the store, streaming a movie on Netflix rather than buying or renting a physical disk with all its attendant packaging -- this weekend's New York Timesstory on data centers served as a rude reminder that all of this bit usage comes at a growing cost, and an increasingly dirty cost.

Data centers waste on average more than 90% of the energy they suck from the grid, the Times found, in research conducted with consultants at McKinsey. Worldwide, data centers use 30 billion watts,… Continue reading...

Owners of Tesla Motors' Model S electric car will be able to travel long distances without spending a dime on recharging, thanks to the company's new "Supercharging" stations.

Tesla has installed six solar-powered stations in California, with plans to have 100 stations active across the U.S. in 2015. The Superchargers, as they're called, can recharge the Model S' batteries within half an hour at no cost whatsoever.

How can this be? Well, the Supercharger's technology was developed internally, using existing charging tech already used by the Model S -- meaning the Superchargers were created at minimal cost.

Google Play Books has added some new features to its Android app, designed to enrich the online reading experience.

The app now includes word translation, highlighting, note-taking functionality, as well as pop-up info cards for definitions and geographical information. It also now features a sepia-toned display option, and lets users read Japanese books the way they're meant to be consumed -- turning pages from right to left and with text in a vertical, right-to-left layout.

The new additions will "help you better explore your books and understand what you're reading," Google Play product manager Xinxing Gu wrote on the official Android team blog introducing the features.

A new crowdfunding platform that focuses solely on video games launched Tuesday morning, and offers gamers a chance to invest in titles vetted by a team of industry experts.

Gambitious functions like a donation-based platform, such as Kickstarter. It allows people living in the European Union and eventually the U.S. to invest equity into games, and receive returns on their investment.

Unlike Kickstarter or IndieGoGo, however, Gambitious doesn't let just anyone submit a project for funding. The company's staff must first meet with the game's creators to make sure they have a working business plan and solid roadmap for their project before going forward. Gambitious founders Mike Wil… Continue reading...

For the first time ever, a full television episode has premiered on Twitter.

This social-media distinction goes to Fox's Raising Hope, a comedy that follows the misadventures of the Chance family, as they raise a toddler named Hope, according to its official website. The first episode of the show's current third season had its Twitter debut on Sept. 21, and will be available until Sept. 27, according to a release. Its official television premiere will be on Oct. 2

Viewers who visit Raising Hope's official Twitter page are treated to the half-hour, commercial-free episode, attached to tweets like this:

The Green Bay Packers just lost a Monday Night football game to the Seattle Seahawks on perhaps the most ridiculous last-second ending in NFL history, and here's how Packers guard T.J. Lang feels about it:

Fuck it NFL.. Fine me and use the money to pay the regular refs.— TJ Lang (@TJLang70) September 25, 2012

The first post instantly scored a social media touchdown (cue rimshot) of viral proportions, scoring (cue second rimshot) more than 55,000 retweets in less than 45 minutes. Lang followed that tweet up with another:

Look above this sentence. That's a screenshot of the NFL's Facebook page about an hour after one of the most controversial endings in league history. To the left is a fairly innocuous post about how Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was roughed up during the game, but doesn't acknowledge its (literally) ridiculous finale.

Remember that screenshot. But first, some background:

The Packers lost to the Seahawks in Monday Night Football on a last-second hail-mary pass by Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson -- a pass that was actually intercepted and let stand as a touchdown after the NFL's replacement officials had what can only be described as a refereeing fiasco. Initially,… Continue reading...

Deepak Chopra is a champion of the power of social media. The spiritual and cultural leader told the audience at the 2012 Social Good Summit that social media is an extension of society's subconscious and is the inevitable next phase of humanity.

"Technology is our creation; we weren't created by technology, so let's use our creation to bring about a healing," Chopra said. "At the most fundamental level, we are not just connected, we are inseparable."

But harnessing the power of social media, to become something larger than just networking, Chopra said, is a choice for humanity to make -- the world is still at a crossroads. Although he said technology itself is neutral, he espouse… Continue reading...

At the time of writing, a YouTube search for "Gangnam Style" said the video had exactly 268,872,984 views. A YouTube search for "Call Me Maybe" said it had 268,386,449 views. Clicking through to the respective videos, however, showed "Call Me Maybe" maintaining a slight edge. A search just a few hours earlier showed "Call Me Maybe" with a lead of some fo… Continue reading...

Need a high speed charge or a simultaneous pass-through charge? This power pack from Energizer is capable of both with a slim design and non-slip, fingerprint resistent outer coating. Under $50 on Amazon

There are 5 million iPhone users who now have longer battery life, thanks to the iPhone 5. Those of us still using the 4 or 4S, well, we still have to look to other sources to charge up during a busy day. You know that draining battery bar will show up at the worst possible point, right as you're trying to upload all that video you recorded, and of course, you're nowhere near an outlet. If you are, then guaranteed you didn't bring a charger with you.

There are solutions available. There are several sturdy and rigid cases that will replenish your iPhone 4's battery life. The cases themselves hold a full charge and can transfer that power to your phone whenever you need it to kick in, or th… Continue reading...

After a recent trip to Honduras with the ONE Research Foundation, an advocacy and campaigning organization that fights extreme poverty and preventable disease, actors America Ferrera and Alexis Bledel spoke about women, children, social media advocacy and ending poverty at the 2012 Social Good Summit on Monday.

Molly Kinder, director for agriculture and Europe policy at ONE, and Claire Diaz-Ortiz, who leads social innovation at Twitter, joined them in a panel moderated by Mashable's Zoe Fox.

Before the panel, they showed a short but moving documentary about the women and girls they met in Honduras, working to improve their lives and those of their families. While there, they learne… Continue reading...

Duke University on Monday became the first college basketball team to announce a switch from physical notebooks to iPads for players to view scouting reports, take notes and study film.

The 64 GB version of the "new iPad" will provide players with practice schedules, scouting reports and stats from games and practices. They'll also be updated with video content from practice and games, as well as clips breaking down players' tendencies and what to expect from opponents. While Duke is the first in the college basketball world to announce the migration to tablet technology, a number of NFL teams have already done so.

It only takes a few minutes to switch your Twitter profile page over to the new format, yet 92 of the leading 100 brands haven't made time for it over the past week.

An analysis of the world's top brands, as measured by Interbrand's 2011 Top 100 List, reveals that only eight -- Samsung, SAP, Nike, Nintendo, Ford, Moet & Chandon, Armani and Starbucks -- have made the switch so far.

Scott Monty, head of social media for Ford, says he updated Ford's Twitter profile within 24 hours of the company's announcement last Tuesday. "Frankly, it was something that was very easy for us to do," he says. Monty added that he likes the fact that the profile looks the same on mobile formats. "This… Continue reading...

The NFL's crew of replacement referees has been widely maligned on social media by fans and media during this young season. But New England Patriots linebacker Brandon Spikes took the criticism to a whole new level after his team's loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night.

After the game, which was marked by a slew of penalties and skirmishes between players, Spikes (that's him at right) posted this message to his 278,000 Twitter followers:

Can someone please tell these fucking zebras foot locker called and they're needed Back at work !!!! #BreakingPoint— brandon spikes (@BrandonSpikes55) September 24, 2012

Autumn in New York, and the temperatures are starting to turn with the leaves. Take Monday, when the city that never sleeps basked in a very pleasant, breezy 65 degrees. Unless you took out your iPhone and asked Siri for the weather, that is -- then it became a barely bearable 91 degrees.

What gives? Click the Yahoo logo on that weather screen, and you'll find out the answer -- Siri is, in fact, giving you the temperature in New York, Texas.

Don't be ashamed if you've never heard of it. New York, Texas is a town so small it's unincorporated, with a population measured in the dozens.

Social entertainment platform GetGlue on Monday revealed its redesigned website, which transforms GetGlue.com from just a check-in service into a personalized viewing guide for TV, movies and sports.

The makeover mirrors GetGlue HD, the company's second-screen experience on iPad that launched in August.

Unlike other TV guides often presented in grid format, the revamped GetGlue.com shows your guide (see above) as a scrolling list prioritized by what's on right now with labels for recommendations and new content.

"The personalized, smart guide helps users find what to watch on TV, streaming, and in theaters, all in one simple place," GetGlue CEO Alex Iskold tells Mashable

Apple's glitchy new Maps app and decision not to include the much beloved Google Maps in the iPhone 5 and its iOS 6 update have caused a lot of people to take some serious umbrage.

Now you can include Hitler among the haters, thanks to the latest incarnation of the tried-and-true Hitler Reacts meme on YouTube. Check out what he has to say about Apple Maps' geographical incompetence in the video above.

UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake made an appeal during his panel at the 2012 Social Good Summit: He wants everyone reading to visit A Promise Renewed and pledge to support UNICEF's efforts in reducing child mortality rates around the world.

Earlier this year, the United States, India, Ethiopia and UNICEF embarked on a new initiative to keep newborns healthy throughout childhood. However, Lake said, the governments of those countries can't do it alone. That's where its new online campaign, A Promised Renewed, comes in.

"We're launching A Promise Renewed, built around governments and others signing a pledge they will do everything they can to accelerate progress" on reducing ch… Continue reading...

Back in late August, when PSY's viral phenomenon "Gangnam Style" was relatively underground with fewer than 100 million YouTube views (it's now at a whopping 266 million), the University of Oregon's duck mascot was among the first to perform a widely shared spoof of the song.

Now, of course, there's a live version. In the video above, freshly uploaded to YouTube on Monday, the duck makes a dramatic entrance from inside a port-o-potty to perform some Gangnam-style pelvic thrusts backed by the Oregon cheerleading squad and marching band at the national power football team's Autzen Stadium. Check out the live show from halftime of Saturday's game and give us your review in the comments.… Continue reading...

The workplace has been quick to adopt iPad and Android tablets. Today, it's near commonplace to find tablets in the hands of doctors, real estate agents and retail employees. However, if you really want to see the future of tablets in the workplace, you have to look in unexpected places.

1. In Garbage Trucks

On a list of places you wouldn't expect to see an iPad, inside the cab of a garbage truck would have to be near the top. But you'll find dozens of iPads in O'Fallon, Mo., just west of St. Louis. Drivers use the iPads to spot residents who haven't paid their trash bills, but who put their cans at the curb anyway, trying to receive free service.

Google took the wraps off "Google for Entrepreneurs," a microsite that brings together information about Google's programs and partnerships for startups and entrepreneurs.

In a blog post, Mary Grove, head of global entrepreneurship outreach, said Google's entrepreneurship activities are focused on three areas: 1) Partnerships with organizations that serve entrepreneurs in local communities; 2) Google-led programs that give entrepreneurs access to talent and tools; and 3) Placing relevant Google tools in the hands of startups as they are get off the ground and scale. The site is designed to serve as an index for these resources.

Summer is over, and fall is upon us in the Northern Hemisphere. The autumnal equinox Saturday brought with it the guarantee that the days will get shorter, the air will get colder and the leaves will change color again. Fall is a season of mixed emotions: many of us live for the season of Pumpkin Spice Lattes even while the autumn months make us melancholic.

The songs we've collected for this Music Monday showcase the range of experiences that accompany this season. Our Spotify playlist captures the optimism of another school year, the thrill of a new romance and the disappointment of a failed one. These songs span decades and genres, but they all remind us of the months ahead.

People are not aware of the realities of the situation with regards to human trafficking. I have to believe that the public's heart is by nature good and will be revolted and broken when exposed to the realities of modern day slavery, both labor and sexual (about 50-50 in the U.S.).

As the UNODC Goodwill Ambassador to combat Human Trafficking, my life has been indelibly affected by the many survivors I have met. In order to have that same effect on the population at large, perhaps we can find actual survivors willing to tell their stories, audio and hopefully video, and put them in PSAs on TV, on specialized websites, YouTube — you name it. This must be done very carefull… Continue reading...

Unsuspecting people in Belgium received an unsettling reality check after having their mind read by a gifted clairvoyant man named Dave. The random selection of people were told that it was for an upcoming reality show -- however, the "magic" reveals otherwise.

If you don't want to see spoilers, simply watch the video above before reading any further.

The video is actually part of a campaign for safe Internet banking. Dave's "gift" is a group of hackers hidden behind a curtain. The campaign -- sponsored by Febelfin, the Belgian Financial Sector Federation -- urges people to "be vigilant" with the information they put online.